Happy Meals
by Tanderule
Summary: SPOILERS FOR HOUSE OF HADES. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. Seven years after the defeat of Gaea, Nico has a drinking problem. One night, he finds himself at a bar in Camp Jupiter and meets the last person on Earth he wants to see. Little does he know that he could be the one person he really needed.


Nercy Fanfic: Happy Meals

It had been seven years since the war against Gaea had ended.

It had been over a decade since Nico di Angelo had fallen in love with Percy Jackson.

The kind of ghosts was now 21 and, because it was legal, he would drink away his sorrows. He'd done so before, but that was because he'd lived in Canada when he was 18. Just so he could start drinking away the pain.

Nico wasn't an alcoholic or anything, but it was very often that he did drink until he forgot who Percy was, who he was.

On night in mid-August, Nico found himself at a bar at Camp Jupiter. He didn't remember going to California, but he didn't really care.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked him.

"Get me the strongest shots you've got," Nico said, pulling out his ID. He was of age, but he still looked like he was 14, so he almost always got carded.

After about an hour and a half of downing shots and chugging beers, a tall guy, a bit older than Nico, strode into the bar. His black hair was wet, like he'd just come back from a swim. His green eyes shone brightly.

Nico turned around, saw him, and hoped, prayed that it wasn't him.

"Hey, Percy!" the bartender called to him cheerfully.

"God damnit," Nico mumbled.

Percy sat next to Nico and the bartender asked him what he was drinking.

"Scotch, please," Percy asked.

It wasn't until Percy got his drink that he noticed Nico was sitting next to him.

"Oh, hey there, Nico!" Percy said.

Nico looked at Percy. "Hello," he replied quietly. Just his luck that the reason he drank was where we was drinking.

"So, what are you drinking?" Percy asked.

"I dunno," Nico said. He was honestly not sure, but he knew it tasted sour and pretty bad for him.

"Quite a bit," piped up the bartender. "This is his 20th beer."

"20th?!" Percy exclaimed. "Nico, you really shouldn't be drinking _20 _beers in one sitting."

"About 70 shots, too," the bartender added.

Nico face palmed. "You know," he said quietly, "It isn't up to you how much I drink, Percy."

"But it _is _mine," the bartender said. "Out."

"I'm a paying patron!" Nico said. "You can't throw me out!"

"You've paid for no drinks, and you're stacking up quite a bill," the bartender said.

"I'll pay for it," Percy said, pulling out a credit card.

Before Nico could protest, his bill had already been paid.

Percy walked Nico out of the bar and into his apartment a couple blocks away.

"Annabeth won't be home for a couple months, so you can stay in her room as long as you need," Percy offered.

"I don't need your charity," Nico spat.

"It isn't charity, Nico," Percy said. " It's being a good friend."

Nico grumbled and realized he didn't have much of a choice. He had nowhere else to go. He might as well.

"Do you have a shower I can use?" Nico asked quietly.

"Third door on the right," Percy said.

Nico found the bathroom. He looked at his reflection and sighed.

"You are a complete and utter mess," he told himself, his pale face looking paler than usual and the dark circles around his eyes becoming darker.

When he'd finished his shower, he put on his old clothes and walked to the kitchen.

There were two McDonald's boxes on the table. Happy Meals.

Percy came out from behind a door and came back into the room. "McDonald's delivers here," he said, "So I got us a classic."

Percy sat down and gestured for Nico to join him.

Nico's box had a bad of apples, caramel sauce, a small order of fries, and a cheeseburger. Percy's was the same.

Nico took small bites of his burger as he and Percy talked.

"So," Percy asked, "What brings you to New Rome?"

Nico shrugged. "I didn't even know I knew the way to California. I just kind of found myself at that bar."

Percy sighed and ate his apples, dunking them in the caramel sauce. "It's been seven years since we last talked. I didn't think you'd start drinking. Why'd you start?"

Nico wanted to tell him the truth, but couldn't find the words.

"To forget that my life is hell. To forget that I don't belong. To forget that… that… that the one person who I want to love me will never because I'm never going to be good enough and they're always going to have someone better than me."

"Who?" Percy asked, but Nico's dark eyes told him the answer.

"You," Nico managed.

He broke down. Why the hell had he said that?  
Percy processed Nico's words, and said, "Don't you ever think you aren't good enough. Ever. You are one of the bravest people I've ever met. And you are probably someone with the best character. Honest. And if you're going to love anyone, anyone at all, it shouldn't be me."

"Why?!" Nico exclaimed. "Is it because I'm not worthy? Is it because you don't even like me as a _friend _anymore? Why, of all people, not you?"

"Because _I _am the person who has ruined your life the most," Percy said.

Nico wiped his eyes. "H-how?" he asked.

"I always try to be the person who saves everyone. I always end up feeling like a failure, and it's because no matter what I do, I'm always disappointing _someone_. Everyday, I think about how I ruined your life. Of course I'm the reason you drink. _I'm_ the reason you lost Bianca. _I'm _the reason you've lost everything in your life and I can't do anything to change that," Percy said.

Nico knew that was true, but he didn't say anything. Percy was too, good, too kind, too noble to say any of that. Sure, it was all true, but the bad things he had done didn't even compare to the number of fantastic things he'd done.

"If you had ended up ruining my life completely," Nico said, "Then why would you be the one I… l-love…?"

Percy shrugged. "I really don't know. Look, I know that you know that I am in love with Annabeth, and I'm not trying to rub it in or anything. I just want you to know that it's an honour to know that you ever loved me, or even wanted to be my friend after everything I've done. Thank you."


End file.
